iTunes 9.1 rumored to add e-book support for iPad launch

An incremental update to Apple's iTunes desktop media application is rumored to coincide with Saturday's iPad launch, bringing support for e-books as well as improved "Genius" mixes and automatic bitrate conversion for audio files.

Citing an anonymous source, MacRumors on Monday reported that iTunes 9.1 will replace the existing "Audiobooks" section in the iTunes Source list with the more broad "Books" category. Users will be able to sort and sync books they purchase through the iBookstore on the iPad when connected to the iTunes desktop client via a USB cable.

The source also reportedly said that iTunes 9.1 will improve the "Genius Mixes" feature introduced with iTunes 9 last September. The feature automatically creates a playlist of content using the results of over 27 million music libraries featuring more than 54 billion songs submitted and analyzed by Genius.

The update will also reportedly offer a number of other changes, including the ability to automatically convert songs to 128 Kbps AAC format when syncing to devices. That feature is currently only available for the iPod shuffle, but will be expanded to all devices.

Other minor tweaks reportedly include tweaked summary panes, which will see the "Check for Update" and "Restore" buttons moved to the left side of the pane.

The last update for iTunes, version 9.0.3, came in early February. It provided a number of bug fixes, including the resolution of problems recognizing when an iPod is connected and issues with syncing some smart playlists and podcasts.

Last October, iTunes 9.0.2 added compatibility with the Apple TV 3.0 update, allowing users to share their content with the set top box device. The update also disabled the ability of the Palm Pre to sync with the iTunes desktop client.

An incremental update to Apple's iTunes desktop media application is rumored to coincide with Saturday's iPad launch, bringing support for e-books as well as improved "Genius" mixes and automatic bitrate conversion for audio files.

Citing an anonymous source, MacRumors on Monday reported that iTunes 9.1 will replace the existing "Audiobooks" section in the iTunes Source list with the more broad "Books" category. Users will be able to sort and sync books they purchase through the iBookstore on the iPad when connected to the iTunes desktop client via a USB cable.

The source also reportedly said that iTunes 9.1 will improve the "Genius Mixes" feature introduced with iTunes 9 last September. The feature automatically creates a playlist of content using the results of over 27 million music libraries featuring more than 54 billion songs submitted and analyzed by Genius.

The update will also reportedly offer a number of other changes, including the ability to automatically convert songs to 128 Kbps AAC format when syncing to devices. That feature is currently only available for the iPod shuffle, but will be expanded to all devices.

Other minor tweaks reportedly include tweaked summary panes, which will see the "Check for Update" and "Restore" buttons moved to the left side of the pane.

The last update for iTunes, version 9.0.3, came in early February. It provided a number of bug fixes, including the resolution of problems recognizing when an iPod is connected and issues with syncing some smart playlists and podcasts.

Last October, iTunes 9.0.2 added compatibility with the Apple TV 3.0 update, allowing users to share their content with the set top box device. The update also disabled the ability of the Palm Pre to sync with the iTunes desktop client.

How is obfuscating the difference between an Audio Book and a digital copy of a print edition even vaguely in the vein of "getting better and better" ? That just makes it even harder to find the content you were looking for.

Just like when Apple decided to arbitrarily include music videos in the Music category and it became a whole lot more difficult to find them when before it was a simple thing to go to videos and select "Music Videos" and be done.

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It is the best media player that there is, and the best way to do just about everything with the iStuff.

That is just a sad commentary on the state of media players. iTunes still really sucks at handling multiple artists (WMP has handled this quite well for years). It still hides simple things about TV shows (Why can't I see the freaking episode number? Why CAN I see the useless Episode ID?) And as others have attested, it's become bloated as Apple has tried to shovel more and more crap into it. It is easily one of the worst performing applications on my iMac and very crash prone (even though it doesn't use Flash).

How is obfuscating the difference between an Audio Book and a digital copy of a print edition even vaguely in the vein of "getting better and better" ? That just makes it even harder to find the content you were looking for.

Just like when Apple decided to arbitrarily include music videos in the Music category and it became a whole lot more difficult to find them when before it was a simple thing to go to videos and select "Music Videos" and be done.

That is just a sad commentary on the state of media players. iTunes still really sucks at handling multiple artists (WMP has handled this quite well for years). It still hides simple things about TV shows (Why can't I see the freaking episode number? Why CAN I see the useless Episode ID?) And as others have attested, it's become bloated as Apple has tried to shovel more and more crap into it. It is easily one of the worst performing applications on my iMac and very crash prone (even though it doesn't use Flash).

This is too funny. AppleRulez is the new user id of an anti-Apple troll who was banned for deliberately antagonizing Apple fans on this board. He liked to belittle people in an attempt to convince himself that he had a somehow superior intellect. Now he is back, posing as a mindless fanboy, in his continued attempt to communicate that he thinks he is superior to those he mocks. The irony is that he got such a rise out of someone who probably hates Apple and its fans as much as he does.